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Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
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Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
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Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
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Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
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and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.
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When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
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When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
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And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
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Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”
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Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
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But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.
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Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
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As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
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Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
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Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!
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On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:
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They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
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Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them,
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Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”
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So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.
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When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.”
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The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house.
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So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
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The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys.
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They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.
